Altman reveals how much energy a ChatGPT query really uses
11 Jun 2025

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revealed that an average query on ChatGPT consumes about 0.000085 gallons of water, or "roughly one 15th of a teaspoon."

He shared the information in a blog post discussing his predictions for AI's future impact on the world.

The revelation comes amid growing concerns over the energy costs associated with AI technologies.

Energy consumption of a ChatGPT query compared to household appliances
Energy comparison

In his blog post, Altman also compared the energy consumption of a ChatGPT query to that of common household appliances.

He said, "the average query uses about 0.34Wh, about what an oven would use in a little over one second, or a high-efficiency lightbulb would use in a couple of minutes."

Altman also predicted that "the cost of intelligence should eventually converge to near the cost of electricity."

AI's energy costs under scrutiny
Energy concerns

The energy costs of AI technologies have come under increasing scrutiny from researchers and environmentalists.

Earlier this year, researchers predicted that by the end of 2025, AI could consume more power than Bitcoin mining.

The Washington Post also found that a 100-word email generated by an AI chatbot using GPT-4 required "a little more than one bottle" of water.